Peter Nolan is currently the Board President. He is honored to bring his extensive knowledge of food marketing, and his passion for community building, to help the Sugar Beet thrive. Peter has been in the food business for over 20 years, holding marketing leadership positions at several innovative companies.  He began his career as a Scoop Truck Driver for Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream and grew to lead all of the consumer promotions at the values-driven company.  Peter moved on to lead the marketing efforts of Potbelly Sandwich Works and Roti Mediterranean Grill.  Currently Peter is running his own business - 5th Marketing - a consultancy focused on small, entrepreneurial food companies. Peter proudly serves as a Super Mentor at Chicago's Good Food Business Accelerator.  A Chicago native, Peter studied Mass Communications at UC Berkeley. He and his wife Karen Steward-Nolan have two daughters.  They live in Oak Park.

Dr. Beth L Dougherty holds a Ph.D. in sociology, teaches part-time at Loyola University Chicago, and serves as a research consultant. Beth is a long-time Berwyn resident with her spouse, kiddo, and cat. Elected to the board in 2021, Beth serves on the Administrative Committee. She believes that the Sugar Beet serves as an essential link in connecting food and community, and service on the board is one way that Beth can use her expertise to expand and support that pillar.

Gail Holmberg has been a supporter of Sugar Beet Food Co-op since before it was formed, having provided a loan during the startup and becoming owners pre-opening. She has a strong interest in healthy food, addressing food insecurity, and sustainable, regenerative agriculture. Locally, she was on the boards of Pro Musica Youth Chorus and the Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory (FOPCON).  She was also on the Board as Treasurer for Woman Made Gallery, a not-for-profit gallery in Chicago, has served on the boards of multiple professional organizations, on the Advisory Board for a technology services company, and she currently serves on the Board of the Association for Corporate Growth - Chicago Chapter. She previously held roles with The Quaker Oats Company, Sears Roebuck, and was also Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Bally Total Fitness.  She ran her own consulting firm for eight years and is now the Midwest Area Managing Partner for Fortium Partners, a firm that provides technology leadership to small and mid-sized organizations.  She serves as a mentor in the Women’s Mentoring Co-op of the Chicago Innovation organization.  She has a master’s degree in Public Administration from the Kennedy School at Harvard University.

Johnny Mathias is honored to represent you on the Sugar Beet Food Co-Op Board! He relocated to Oak Park from Oakland, California in the Summer of 2021 with his wife Kamilah. He hopes to deepen his connections to this thriving community while pursuing his interest in just food systems. He has worked for the last 10 years at Color Of Change, the largest online racial justice force in the country. From this work at a civil rights organization, he brings a set of skills that supports the operation of Sugar Beet Food Co-op including digital organizing, community engagement, and racial justice practice. He is excited about the opportunity to learn more about the operations of a medium-sized grocery business and to help the co-op tackle future challenges to grow membership in an environment of increasing competition from stores moving to Madison Street. As retail worker movements organize in shops across the country, he sees Sugar Beet as a grocery store that can distinguish itself by living its principles and attracting more owners eager for a grocer that shares their values.

Bill Gee is honored to be rejoining the board after serving a previous term on the original board when the store first opened. Bill has thirty years of past experience owning a bakery business and has also invested in and mentored other entrepreneurial startups in the local good food sector. Now retired, Bill and his wife Sue work with nonprofit organizations that focus on good food initiatives through a social justice lens which aligns strongly with what a big part of the Sugar Beet mission is all about. The Sugar Beet has made a positive impact on our community and Bill hopes that the store can continue to broaden its reach at the same time, improving upon its depth of inclusiveness. Bill is a native of Chicago and after he and Sue raised their family in OPRF they moved “down the road” to Lincoln Park, but still consider the Sugar Beet their go to destination for all their grocery needs.

Lori Vierow serves on the Board of Directors to help support the work of our local farmers and locally provided products. She is a landscape architect and has a passion for protecting our environment and our resources. This passion includes growing food in a local, sustainable manner. Her husband was the owner of a Community Supported Agriculture business for ten years and she was an integral part in helping his business grow, meeting with the members, organizing events on the farm, and assisting with marketing. Also, as a senior landscape architect, she leads interdisciplinary teams of designers, conducts public engagement meetings, and manages a team of designers and engineers. In addition, as a leukemia survivor, she strongly believes our environment and the food we put into our bodies make an impact on our health. She believes we are a unique store that can excel in educating our customers on healthy lifestyle choices, commitment to sustainability, and serving as an example for other start-up food co-ops in the Chicago area. Her husband and she shop at Sugar Beet, and also frequent their favorite Wisconsin Co-op, Willy’s Co-op in Middleton, WI.

Amina Jackson joined the Sugar Beet board because the mission of the Coop sustainability and providing nutritional options for the community resonates with her. Amina was raised in a Coop grocery store as a child and the opportunities for local businesses has shown her the importance of community. She is a graduate of DePaul University. Her background is hospitality management and telecommunications. She looks forwards to supporting the Sugar Beets mission to continue to be a staple in the Oak Park community. 

Gaby Gerken joined the Sugar Beet Board because she loves supporting and creating thriving marketplaces for local farmers and makers. Originally from Minnesota where co-ops are more common, she has spent five years working for and managing food cooperatives and farmers markets and is thrilled to join the board to continue this work. Gaby lives a couple of blocks away from the co-op and currently works in community development at a local chamber of commerce.

Sam Dali joined Sugar Beet to pursue her quest for nutritious food and an eco-friendly, sustainable lifestyle. Originally from India, Sam has lived in Oak Park for more than a decade. She has also served as a commissioner on the Oak Park Farmers' market. Sam is a financial analyst, serves on the finance committee  at Sugar Beet and hopes to use her expertise to make Sugar Beet a thriving business.

Jim Doyle

Eric Medina is a dedicated member of the Board, passionately committed to advancing the coop's mission of promoting sustainable, healthy, and accessible food options for the community. He focuses on collaborating with local food sources to ensure nutritious food is within reach for everyone. Eric joined his first food coop while living in Oregon in 2010 and appreciated the unique, personable approach to offering locally sourced foods. As a trained chef, he has embraced the art of cooking and strives to inspire others with a "yeah, it’s that easy to make" mentality, encouraging families to explore their culinary creativity. His background is in Corporate Finance and EPM/ERP systems across various industries in global organizations, including consulting. Eric has been a Sugar Beet member since 2016.